Plugged In: A new music venue opens on Whyte Avenue

One of Whyte Avenue’s newest gastro pubs is creating a much-needed space for musicians and fans.

The Almanac, which opened in December, is putting the finishing touches on a “micro-venue,” which can host 60 to 80 people in a separate room at the back of the pub.

Local roots-rockers Altameda and B.C.’s folk-rock trio The Lion The Bear The Fox will be the first acts to grace the stage on Wednesday, Jan. 13. (Tickets available at yeglive.ca.)

Most shows, however, will land on Saturdays and Sundays — including jazz astronauts N3K (Jan. 16), rocker Motorbike James (Feb. 6) and punk peddlers Counterfeit Jeans (Feb. 27). Tickets are available at the door.

The Almanac, which serves French-inspired food created by chef/co-owner Alysha Couture, is in the old Red Square Vodka Bar, 10351 82nd Ave.

“We figured our micro-venue could fill some of the gaps left by so many other music venues closing,” says bar manager Joshua Meachem. “When we were doing our renovations, we reached out to the music community (about our idea) and got positive feedback from people.”

A total of five venues closed in 2015, including two on Whyte Avenue — Wunderbar and The Pawn Shop.

Craig Martell, who used to co-own Wunderbar, is booking acts for The Almanac. He also programs Bohemia, a small art bar in downtown Edmonton.

He’s trying to remain confident about the live music scene in 2016. Two new venues are expected to open soon, including The Chvrch of John in the Grand Hotel (in the coming weeks) and The Needle in the old CKUA building on Jasper Avenue (March 10).

“I think it’s a very interesting landscape,” says Martell. “I’m optimistic, but I feel we’re going to hit a point where not everything is going to survive. We might be stretching the live music crowd very thin. That’s my biggest fear, I guess.”

The million-dollar question is: How do we fatten up that crowd? Thousands of fans willingly shell out big money to see their favourite stars at Rexall Place, but how do you encourage more of them to spend $10 to see a local performer in a small club?

While the Edmonton Live Music Initiative is currently looking at offering financial incentives to venues — such as grants and longer serving hours — Martell thinks we should be nurturing the next generation of musicians and fans.

“I’d rather see the money to go toward developing the artists who are 16, 17 years old now. If we do it right, by the time they’re 20, 21, they don’t move away like (indie rock star) Mac DeMarco and their friends won’t move away. So my idea is to see a publicly funded, safe all-ages room that would also provide services like grant writing, how to write a press release, gear donation. A lot of these things are available elsewhere, but to have it all centralized would make kids think: ‘Wow, our town is cool.’

The festival, which runs over two weekends in April, is headlined by the reunions of classic-rock bad-asses Guns N’ Roses and James Murphy’s erudite synth-rock act LCD Soundsystem.

Purity Ring made their Coachella debut in 2013.

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Ringing in a new year often involves discarding old traditions, no matter how popular they might be.

After 10 years, Sonic 102.9 FM has decided to ditch its Band of the Month program in favour of the Local Spotlight.

Instead of playing a tune by a different local band each month, the station will now showcase one act for several months. More airplay equals more chances for a song/band to take off in Edmonton — and perhaps even across the country.

The first Local Spotlight act? The Provincial Archive, a trio of rockers who just released a self-titled EP, available on vinyl via the band’s website. You can also stream or buy a download via Bandcamp.com.

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Submissions are now open for the sixth annual Edmonton Music Awards.

There are 21 categories — from Album of the Year to Rap/Hip-Hop Recording of the Year to Music Video of the Year.

Edmonton (and area) artists who released music in 2015 can apply via edmontonmusicawards.com. The deadline is Feb. 29.

No foolin’ … those bearded wonders, ZZ Top, will roar into River Cree Resort & Casino on Friday, April 1 as part of their Hell Raisers Tour. Tickets are $59.50 to $89.50 plus service charges. On sale: Monday, Jan. 11 at Ticketmaster.ca.

The Texas blues-rockers are now entering their 47th year as a band. Last year, singer/guitarist Billy Gibbons released his first solo album, Perfectamundo.

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Metal compatriots Between the Buried and Me and August Burns Red will perform Monday, March 28 at Union Hall. Tickets are $32.50 plus service charges. On sale: Friday, Jan. 8 at Ticketfly.com.

August Burns Red’s song, Identity, is up for Best Metal Performance at next month’s Grammys. Other nominees include Lamb of God’s 512 and Slipknot’s Custer.

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